I have done a flat poly cube subdivided in hundreds in legth and depth.
There is a maped image on the top side*.
The idea is to have a corner getting dissociated into the smaller subdivided cubes.
These cubes should mix with similar emitted cubes and travel along a determined path.

Is this possible with maya and how can I achieve this effect?

Can anyone help me?

PS I just can't find any tool to slice my flat cube into the smaller subdivided cubes... Maybe I've done a whole wrong approch from the scratch!! ;(
Should I rather start with a not subdivide flat and cut it somehow with this method :
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=392962
Seams to work with boolean grid slicing... absolutely new concept to me!! ;op

*PPS The image - AND ITS PEACES - on the top of the flat object should remain as originaly on each remaining and moving cube faces

almux

08-17-2006, 09:59 AM

I badly need help.
I just can't understand how to make particles!
Looking to tuts, trying to follow lessons from book or even twiggle the exercices on LE's DVD... just fail even making a cube become particles along a curve!!!
I must be under-dumm... or is there any "particles logic" I can't grab!

This should be resolved till within a few hours... while I'm just driving mad instead! ;..(

On CG the tutorial : http://caad.arch.ethz.ch/info/maya/manual/UserGuide/Dynamics/Particles.doc2.html is the same one as in my book.

If you can spend some time, here is a link to an uploaded file... if you could give a look and tell me whats wrong... would be of a great help.

Would have loved to attach .mb file... but .mb extension is unpermitted... ;(

almux

08-17-2006, 05:50 PM

when I try to connect my cube to the emitter, it says this: // Error: pCube4 owns no emitters. Please select an emitter or an object which owns one. // (of course it has none... since I precisely try to give one!!! )
Then it says:
connectDynamic -em planeEmitter1 pCube4;
// Warning: Your new field/emitter/collision cannot affect the following object; it is not a dynamic object.
If it is eligible, make it a rigid body and try again: pCube4 //
// Error: Please select the particle objects to be connected for emission or collision, or the particle objects/rigid bodies to be connected to fields. //

I've have tried at least 20 times to follow the books instructions... and no success ;(

Any help?

mimo8

08-17-2006, 10:54 PM

sorry, I dindīt read all your thread,
just wanted to point out Cinema4D and itīs new mograph pluggin.

I played with the demo some days ago and it is great for doing stuff like that.
not a maya answere though.

rasamaya

08-18-2006, 02:28 AM

Ok this may annoy you, cuz I didnt give your thread as much thought as I could have.

Would making all the cubes rigid bodies and then use a wind deformer to gradually eat away at one corner work?

Some times there are many ways to get the same look. I usually choose the most difficult first. hmmf.

If you insist on particles, I suggest reading up on "goals" in the manual.

Could luck, I would be happy to hear how things are going.

Cheers

almux

08-18-2006, 06:58 AM

sorry, I dindīt read all your thread,
just wanted to point out Cinema4D and itīs new mograph pluggin.

I played with the demo some days ago and it is great for doing stuff like that.
not a maya answere though.
C4D has an easier approch (for what I remember of it) to slice polys... yet, I got very found of Maya in general (had C4D only shortly at school... and it was only for 3D introductory course) and with Maya LE at home, I can easely run to my friends prod studio to get final results... But thanks for your suggestion.

almux

08-18-2006, 07:21 AM

Ok this may annoy you, cuz I didnt give your thread as much thought as I could have.
Receiving aswers is already a good thing! ;)

Would making all the cubes rigid bodies and then use a wind deformer to gradually eat away at one corner work?
Following the book, I desperately tried to make my cube as Rigid Body... but for some reason, an error message ligne would say the object wasn't "eligible"... or something! Grrr!
Your "wind deformer" idea is real great, nice approch!
My problem is also to get that intire picture remaining as it would be a puzzle... cuting into peaces makes it as a deformation of the image clunked on each peace (is there a way to map one image over one face of all instanced cubes to have every cube with its own image part?)

Some times there are many ways to get the same look. I usually choose the most difficult first. hmmf.
If you insist on particles, I suggest reading up on "goals" in the manual.
In all the 3 LE books i got, particles are always exercised from a step presuming one know already how to attach this §*%&°§ object to that d.... +°§&% emitter! Grr
Maybe I'm too old, but something I am missing here... just don't succeed having my cubes to be emitted!
When I look at the LE DVDs inclued lessons, I just can't see how these elemts are liked! Tried to replace some with a new created object... and failed... nothing happens!
Real frustrating. ;.(

Could luck, I would be happy to hear how things are going.

Cheers
Thanks for your encouragements... I need some a lot!

almux

08-20-2006, 09:45 AM

Finally I acheived a result by an odd hand made work:
1) Boolean on a flat large scare (with maped image on top)
2) Primitiv cube with randomized duplications.
3) Repositionning, finescaling and finerotating each cube for a nice look in front of the main camera.

Ok for this time (it's a still 4200X1400 300dpi image)... But i will have to get my use of particles or wind problem solved within few weeks, when it'll come to make that all stuff be animated!!

almux

08-27-2006, 08:17 PM

Here is the latest result of "cube disolves" just a quick render with default light...

Sorry, forgot to add the link...

almux

08-27-2006, 08:18 PM

Here is the latest result of "cube disolves" just a quick render with default light...

See: http://www.millpix.com/public/europuzzle.avi

Also iPod codec: http://www.millpix.com/public/europuzzle.m4v.zip

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